The Effect of Parasocial Interaction on Intention to Register as Organ Donors Through Entertainment-Education Programs in Korea

Abstract

This study is based on the theory of reasoned action and self-efficacy, and it examines the mediating role of attitude, subjective norm, and self-efficacy between parasocial interaction and the intention to donate organs. Judgment sampling was used and 329 respondents were participated in the survey. Participants consisted of 102 males (30.9%) and 227 females (69.1%), and their ages ranged from 13 to 77 years. The Cronbach’s α for each scale was .81 for parasocial interaction scale (M = 3.01, SD = 0.55), .89 for attitude scale (M = 4.28, SD = 0.55), .89 for subjective norm (M = 4.28, SD = 0.55), and .76 for self-efficacy (M = 3.31, SD = 0.89). The level of parasocial interaction was found to be significantly associated with attitude and subjective norms that predicted intention to register as organ donors. Although the mediating effect of self-efficacy between parasocial interaction and intention has been proven, self-efficacy showed a conflicting result in the process of model testing in that the level of parasocial interaction affected the degree of subjective norms, which in turn influenced intention by enhancing self-efficacy. The results indicate that parasocial interaction has an indirect effect on intention to register as organ donors through attitude and subjective norms. It is expected that this finding contributes to developing a number of strategies to encourage people’s intention to register as organ donors.